Devil's Gambit

Chapter 26

The kitchen was warm as decadent smells wafted through the air, the only thing making the heat inside the house bearable was the cooler breeze coming in through the back door. Harley propped his elbow on the wooden table with his chin in his hand, admiring the view of the garden from where he sat. He felt terrible that he was out of commission for six weeks due to his dislocated shoulder, and he hated the thought of all the work he had done in Nana's yard going to waste as the hot sun scorched the plants, but Elijah picked up the slack and worked tirelessly to keep the plants watered and healthy. By early September, the intense temperatures of the summer were finally cooling down, and Harley was delighted to see that all of the plants had survived.

Nana came shuffling over from the kitchen with a plate of small sandwiches and freshly baked cookies, and Harley perked up at the food.

"Here you go, love," Nana smiled, her rich berry lipstick looking extra vibrant against her deep skin tone. "It's so good seeing you without that sling and those horrible bruises," she sighed, sitting slowly into her own chair as she shakily poured them both a cold glass of lemonade from the heavy glass pitcher. Harley used to get nervous watching her do that, thinking she was struggling or the weight was too much, but discovered it was merely a simple tremor, and she was perfectly capable of lifting it on her own. So Harley let her carry on, knowing she enjoyed doing little acts of service for people.

"Me too. The healing process was not fun," he murmured, remembering all of the restless nights he had in the beginning due to the pain. Just like the first night, Lucas would sneak into his room after everyone else had retired to bed, spending the night to watch over him like a hawk. In the first week especially, Harley would wake in the early hours of the morning in severe pain, sitting on the edge of the bed as tears gathered in his eyes and he took deep, calming breaths. He never thought he was loud, but Lucas always, always would wake up when he did, wordlessly walking across the hall to the bathroom and returning with some more painkillers and a hot towel to press against Harley's shoulder. They would sit there, side by side with sleepy expressions and heavy eyes, as Lucas kept the towel there until it grew cold and Harley's discomfort eased. Axel would check in with him throughout the day as well, and refused to allow Harley to pick up anything heavy or make his own meals. Even Daniel would offer Harley weed from his own stash to help take his mind off of the pain, which Harley would always decline, but the gesture was still thoughtful to him, as he knew Daniel was simply trying to help in any way he could.

"The guys were so helpful and nice, though. I couldn't have done it without them, they really had my back," Harley smiled to himself at the memories, pulling apart a chocolate chip cookie. Nana leaned back in her chair to study him, her large, wire frame glasses perched on the tip of her nose.

"It's always good to surround yourself with people who will be there for you. I've known those boys for years, they really are some of the kindest, most generous people I've met."

Harley nodded thoughtfully. "We had to take José to the airport a few days ago to catch his flight back to Mexico- that was hard. José and I grew really close, and my Spanish has improved so much because of him. He was a part of the house just like everyone else, even though he was only there for a short time. I'm really going to miss him. I know Daniel was pretty torn up having to say goodbye."

"But now you'll get to be a part of welcoming him back the next summer," Nana smiled, sipping on her lemonade, the beaded chains that dangled from her glasses moving with the action.

"Right. . . " Harley mumbled, casting a wary glance out the back door. He'd been thinking a lot lately about the future, especially with the constant pain from his injuries reminding him of the very situation that had landed him in that condition. Tensions seemed to remain stagnant between Northside and Southside, and despite Axel and Lucas' best efforts to keep their conversations hushed, Harley was able to hear them from time to time in Lucas' room when it got real quiet at night. With the increased policing of Southside, their. . . business. . . had come to a complete standstill. They weren't making as much money as they used to, and the stress between the guys over that fact was always simmering beneath the surface. Lucas simply waved his hand dismissively when Harley would ask, telling him not to worry, but Lucas didn't realize how good Harley had become at reading the man's body language he thought he kept so thoroughly concealed.